Cerl Descending
by A-kun
Summary: Cerl Tendo has been called by Silent Hill. But is it to punish her or does it want something from her?
1. Opening Chords

"I get it now. Why I'm still alive even though everyone else is dead. I'm not the only one who's still walking around. I'm the same as them! I just hadn't noticed it before!"  
  
- Nurse Lisa Garland, Silent Hill 1  
  
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Cerl Descending  
  
Chapter 01 - Opening Chords  
  
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Cerl Tendo stared at the town as she walked toward it. She didn't know who was responsible, but she'd gotten a letter from her mother, which was impossible. Akiko Tendo had been dead for over eleven years and, according to her father, had never left Japan in her entire life. And yet, the note was disturbingly accurate, according to her father.  
  
Obviously, someone wanted her in Silent Hill, USA and whoever that person was, they were going to get a severe beating. No one mocked her adoptive father with letters from a dead wife.  
  
Cerl was only seventeen years old, but she knew more about the United States than her family. The main reason she was alone was largely to keep her entire adopted family from having to traipse all the way to some rinky-dink town just to find some jerk. They'd taken her in, so she had to repay them by taking care of the heckler.  
  
Cerl's long blonde hair, blue eyes and fairly caucasian appearance was an aid on the journey. Many of the people had been rather helpful to her, something that probably wouldn't have happened if they'd known she was a foreigner. Some communities looked to be fairly open about a lot of things, but when people from other countries came into their town, they could be incredibly rude.  
  
As she drew closer, a light fog seemed to start forming. Cerl considered turning back to the little town she'd passed through, Brahms, but decided to press onward. The sooner she got to the small town of Silent Hill, the sooner she could find the brainless prankster and force him or her to pay for what the emotional trauma they'd caused her father.  
  
No more than five minutes later, her resolve began to falter. The night air was getting colder and the fog was getting thicker. Soon, she probably wouldn't be able to find her way. She stopped to consider turning back, but once again, decided to press on. The town wasn't that far from Brahms and that nice female police officer told her that there weren't any other turns. The road would lead her there.  
  
Ten minutes later, she regretted it. The fog had grown so dense, she could barely find her feet. She doubted her ability to sense ki would do her much good. The only thing that she could do was keep her arms out and step loudly.  
  
She growled as she stumbled several times, walking in the fog. Then, she heard a strange shuffling noise. She paused and waited. The shuffling noise repeated itself. After about five seconds, it repeated again.  
  
Her danger sense flared as she looked around, trying her best to peer through the fog. She even tried to find an active ki source nearby, but nothing appeared to her senses, save the shuffling noise, like someone rubbing strips of denim together while dragging a shoe.  
  
She decided to move forward, despite the sound, but kept quiet. If she bumped into someone, she could apologize, but she didn't like the sound of whatever was moving around.  
  
Slowly, a strange scent caught her nose. It was nasty, like coffee grounds mixed with a plant-based compost. She coughed a few times as the repugnant smell grew stronger and did her best not to breathe too deeply.  
  
The shuffling noise stopped for about twenty seconds, then she heard it begin moving towards her. She grimaced and slid silently into a fighting stance as it drew near. The fog began clearing, allowing her to see a faintly humanoid shape...  
  
"OW! What the hell did you do that for?!" came the voice of an angry woman.  
  
Cerl blinked, then leaned forward. Through the fog, she made out a woman in her mid-twenties, wearing a police uniform similar to the ones worn by the Brahms police department. She had shoulder-length black hair and was obviously angry.  
  
"Sorry about that! I panicked because of this thick fog." Cerl apologized to the police woman.  
  
"It's all right, I guess. It is rather hard to see. I'll show you into town." the police woman told her, "Give me your hand."  
  
Embarrassed over her blunder, Cerl obediently extended her hand to the police woman, who's cold and clammy hand grabbed her wrist and lead Cerl into town. Cerl forced herself to calm down. The female officer didn't warrant danger.  
  
"Is it always this bad?" Cerl asked.  
  
"Hmm?" the police woman inquired.  
  
Cerl gestured to the air, "The fog."  
  
"Oh, not really. We've had a lot of fog in recent years, but not this much." the police woman responded.  
  
It wasn't long before they reached the police station, a somewhat small building with a brick exterior. Had it been any older, Cerl would have expected it to be made out of wood and have a deck for spurs to jangle on.  
  
As they entered, Cerl noted the absence of anyone else. Cerl also noted that the police officer was pretty sexy, but decided to focus on the other issue, "Are you the only one on night patrol?"  
  
"No, but I'm the only one who comes in regularly." the police woman responded, as they reached the officer's desk, which was fairly neat with a few file folders scattered about. She motioned Cerl to a wooden seat next to her desk as she sat down on her own chair, "So, what were you doing out there in that fog?"  
  
"Oh, right. My name is Cerl Tendo. Someone sent a letter to my uncle posing as his deceased wife. I came to find the joker who did it and teach them a lesson about playing with the emotions of others." Cerl explained, as she took off her pack and sat down.  
  
"I'm Kimberly Ganer." the police woman replied, before sighing, "Sounds like it's happening again."  
  
"What's happening again?" Cerl asked.  
  
"Letters. About thirty years or so back, a man came into town complaining about the same thing. I wasn't even born when it all happened. Turns out what happened was the biggest case in Silent Hill and Brahms history." Kimberly responded.  
  
Cerl quirked an eyebrow, "Something bad?"  
  
"Cults and Drug Rings. Kinda rocked everyone, since this isn't exactly the sort of place where people can just pop up, so that meant everyone who was involved stayed in this town or in Brahms." Kimberly answered.  
  
"Actually, I can believe that. Small town people can be easily tempted at the prospect of big money, especially when they think they can get away with it. Sad, really." Cerl sighed.  
  
Cerl turned suddenly.  
  
"What's wrong?" Kimberly asked, reaching for her gun.  
  
"I thought I heard something outside." Cerl told her.  
  
"I'll go check it out. It's probably just Scraper. He and his little pack of groupies come around here every so often, but better safe than sorry." Kimberly answered, hurrying towards the door as she drew her gun.  
  
"You're the officer." Cerl replied, tensing, just in case it wasn't someone familiar.  
  
Kimberly opened the door slowly, peeking out. She rolled her eyes and opened the door all the way, "Scraper, you and your boys git! This ain't the time to be playing. Go home."  
  
The sound of retreating feet reached Cerl's ears, though they weren't moving like they were scared or in a hurry.  
  
"I guess they don't respect you much if they ain't hurrying." Cerl noted.  
  
"They don't respect anyone. It's only because I have a gun that they respond to me at all. If I didn't have this, who knows what might happen." Kimberly answered, motioning to her revolver.  
  
"Better to not think about it." Cerl told her.  
  
"I guess so." Kimberly acknowledged as she walked back to her desk and sat down.  
  
"Anyway, so you think that these criminals might be back?" Cerl inquired.  
  
Kimberly considered Cerl's statement, "Well, the thing is, the letters were never officially connected to the incidents. It's very likely that your letter has nothing to do with the drug rings. But it _might_ have something to do with that cult."  
  
"Whoever it was will pay. That's all I care about." Cerl declared.  
  
"I don't condone physical violence, but I will help you from the legal standpoint. It's a clear case of harrassment and I won't stand for it." Kimberly answered.  
  
"So, where's the nearest hotel?" Cerl inquired.  
  
"You could get hurt out there with all that fog. You can sleep in one of the cells if you like. I'll keep it unlocked." Kimberly offered.  
  
Cerl contemplated the fog. It was getting too thick to see clearly. Only someone who was familiar with the town, like Kimberly, would be able to move so easily in the fog, "Well, it's probably a good idea."  
  
Kimberly stood up and headed for the jail cells, Cerl following closely behind after grabbing her pack.  
  
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Okay, as anyone can clearly see, I've never played Silent Hill all the way through.  
  
WHAT?!  
  
That's right, I'm using four things at my disposal to craft this tale. My imagination, my limited knowledge of SH1, a few walkthrough for Silent Hill 1-3, and the information I gleaned from various reviews (like the one's on Tech TV's X-Play)  
  
If I get anything wrong, that ain't my fault. And in fact, hardcore gamers should EXPECT me to get something wrong. After all, there's only so much that I can get from a walkthrough.  
  
However, I would like all readers of this to keep an open mind. After all, I'm basically screwing around with something I only understand via second-hand information and deductive reasoning.  
  
More things to note: Cerl is from Akane Revised. Expect different things from her. After all, this is about a horror genre video game, where survival is at an all time low. 


	2. Infection

"Mary, could you really be in this town?" - James Sunderland, Silent Hill 2  
  
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Cerl Descending  
  
Chapter 02 - Infection  
  
======================  
  
Cerl woke up around 8 AM. She sat up and yawned, rubbing her bleary vision away. Hopping to her feet, she straightened her clothes and grabbed her pack.  
  
[Well, time to start looking.] Cerl thought to herself.  
  
She hadn't noticed the other night, but many of the jail cells were empty. That was unusual, but not too strange. After all, the town didn't seem to have many people out in the night, so fewer people needed to get thrown in the drunk tank.  
  
[Actually,] Cerl paused, [Even with knowledge of the town, that fog last night was thick. How did Kimberly expect to find anything last night?]  
  
Cerl decided to ask the officer as she entered the lobby of the station. She glanced around. No one was in sight. Either Silent Hill was smaller than she thought or something was wrong. She decided to check the bathrooms to see if, perhaps, she was over-reacting and the person who was currently in charge of the station was simply visiting the 'throne room'.  
  
She pushed open the door to the Men's room first, "Hello?"  
  
No answer. Cerl looked at the grime on tile floor and wondered how long it had been since anyone had bothered to clean it. Now worried, Cerl pushed over the Women's restroom door, "Hello? Anyone there?"  
  
Only a faint echo of her own voice and a foul odor was the only things she sensed from the room. She looked at the floor again and noticed something that looked like rust on the floor of the middle stall.  
  
She began walking towards the middle stall, the sound of her own footsteps and breathing seeming rather ominous. She wondered if perhaps she was simply overreacting as she slid alongside the stall doors and gently pushed open the door.  
  
Nothing but rust dripping from a leaky pipe. She mentally berated herself as she turned away, but her eyes chanced to flicker at the mirror.  
  
Someone was in the stall. A woman wearing a police uniform identical to Kimberly's, but she had short blonde hair and blood on half of her face.  
  
Cerl turned back and looked closely inside the stall.  
  
No one.  
  
The hairs on her head became ridged and a chill ran up her spine. She glanced back at the mirror at the woman, who seemed to mouthing something to her.  
  
Panic rose inside her as she turned and raced out of the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind her. She grabbed her pack without thought and hurried to the door.  
  
It was time to find Kimberly. Or anyone.  
  
She stepped outside only to find that the fog had lightened considerably, but still permeated the entire city like thick carpet. The sky also refused to be of any help, as the clouds only allowed the sunlight to illuminate the town enough for people to see, but not enough for true sunshine to push through. Cerl looked around the street. There wasn't anyone visible.  
  
Cerl listened closely, but she couldn't hear anyone. 8 AM on a weekday in late autumn? Children should be playing, cars should have been running and people should have been walking around.  
  
Cerl turned left and began walking. If the town was abandoned, Kimberly should have noted that. Cerl turned left at the next corner and saw a large white building she could never mistake, especially not with that universal red cross.  
  
A hospital. Namely, Alchemilla Hospital.  
  
Unlike a police station on a dreary night, a hospital would _have_ to have people, especially since it was large enough that it could probably house at LEAST half the town's population.  
  
As Cerl raced for it, she asked herself what she might do if it too were abandoned. She shivered and decided to ignore that possibility until she reached it.  
  
Calming Cerl's nerves considerably, she noticed that the lights were on and two nurses wearing the traditional sexy pink uniforms were at the reception desk. She entered through the automatic doors and headed for the two nurses.  
  
"Excuse me, can either one of you tell me where I might find Officer Kimberly Ganer?" Cerl asked.  
  
"No, why?" one of the nurses, a young woman in her earlier twenties with long straight hair and brown eyes, responded, "Did something bad happen?"  
  
Cerl began to feel like a bumpkin as she answered, "Um, more of something weird. I was staying overnight at the station because of the fog, and I think I saw a ghost in the women's bathroom."  
  
The second nurse, a woman with short red hair and green eyes, who looked to be the older of the pair, giggled, "I see, you saw the famous police station ghost."  
  
"Famous?" Cerl asked, glancing at her name badge, "Cindy".  
  
"Well, she's been around for a while. Spooks the living daylights out of anyone who goes into either bathroom, but she usually stays in the women's restroom most of the time. The officers are so scared that they try not to stay at the station too long. Kinda pathetic, really." the blonde answered, her name badge read "Tina".  
  
"She had me pretty spooked too. Why don't they try calling an exorcist?" Cerl inquired.  
  
"Honey, an exorcist won't come out here. They all say any haunting out here are fake. They treat us like bumpkins just because we're a small resort town and tell us to just oil our gates and stuff like that." Cindy replied.  
  
Cerl frowned inwardly. Exorcists didn't get very frequent business, and the possibility of payment would have interested some of them. The story didn't seem right at all.  
  
"Actually, while you're here, would you like a free check up?" Tina inquired.  
  
Cerl looked at her curiously, "Are you all THAT bored?"  
  
"Yeah. Last person who came in was this whiner from out of state, claiming he saw boogey men outside his hotel and it made him impotent." Tina replied.  
  
"Yeah, two days ago. That jerk wanted US to help him 'cure' it. Had an erection clear enough that we could see it the instant he walked in." Cindy joined in.  
  
"Yeah, that little prick." Tina added.  
  
Both of the nurses began snickering over that.  
  
"But what about other patients?" Cerl asked.  
  
"Honey, this hospital is so poorly placed, there's another hospital with twice the size with quadruple the staff in Jacobsville, two towns over. Now, seeing as we've got a staff of thirty eight nurses, but only six doctors, which are you going to head for if you get hurt?" Cindy inquired.  
  
"That's a pretty small staff for this big hospital." Cerl noted.  
  
"That's why most of the work we get nowadays is terminal cases for people who want to see some nice scenery before they die or stressed business people who were ordered to have supervised rest and relaxation." Tina explained.  
  
"So, how about that check up? No time like the present to make sure you're good and clean for your boyfriend." Cindy answered.  
  
"I... I don't have a boyfriend." Cerl replied haughtily, a blush coming to her face despite her wishes.  
  
"Okay, then you can know before you get your boyfriend." Cindy told her.  
  
"I'll go get Doctor Kaufmann..." Tina began.  
  
"Honey, you're daydreamin'. Doctor Michael Kaufmann's gone." Cindy berated Tina.  
  
"Oh, right! Where IS my head today? I'll go get Doctor... uh, is Doctor Spaniel still here or is she gone too?" Tina asked.  
  
"Doctor Spaniel is going to be here 'til the day she dies, honey. So, you'll know when she's gone. Or at least, you SHOULD." Cindy replied.  
  
"Right, right." Tina said, brushing aside the insult with a casual wave.  
  
"So, this town... not many people, huh?" Cerl asked nervously as Cindy motioned her to follow her to a nearby exam room.  
  
"Oh, it's got a healthy population, thanks to Doctor Spaniel." Cindy stated, "Don't worry about Tina. She's empty headed when it comes to who's here, but she's got some good skills."  
  
Cindy opened a nearby door and motioned Cerl inside, "Take off your clothes. There's an exam robe in the closet that you can wear. I'll send Nurse Lisa in shortly."  
  
"Are you sure this is okay? I mean, a free exam? Won't someone get angry?" Cerl asked, as she entered the room. She was getting the feeling she was doing something she shouldn't, but something in the air kept her from panicking like she had back at the police station. She was beginning to feel a bit cotton-headed.  
  
"No, I know Doctor Spaniel. She's the sort who isn't really happy unless she's doing something, even if it's for free." Cindy replied.  
  
Cerl nodded. As Cindy closed the door, Cerl set down her pack and began undressing as she opened the closet to find the exam robe.  
  
It wasn't long before Cerl was impatiently waiting in the examination room. She was already wearing the exam gown, which, typical of hospital gowns, was open in back. Feeling a bit insecure, she was sitting on the chair nearest to the door, taking in the exam room. There was a long cabinet on the wall nearest to the door and another along the wall opposite of her.  
  
Then, there was the exam table, which looked much like a vinyl Lazy-Z-Boy made flat as a board. Over the table was a prehensile exam light. There were straps on the side of the exam table, but they were likely to hold down patients who came in for shots and were nervous about needles.  
  
"Hi!" a nurse with brown hair who resembled Tina quite closely as she entered, "I'm Lisa! Doctor Spaniel will be here shortly, so I'll just take care of the minor details, like your blood pressure and such."  
  
Cerl nodded. Six minutes passed while Lisa cheerfully recorded the minor details of Cerl's medical history. Cerl had to be careful not to confuse her medical background with those of her family, but managed to get through the exam for the most part.  
  
"Okay, Doctor Spaniel will be in here shortly." Lisa replied.  
  
Cerl nodded again as the cheerful nurse exited the room.  
  
[Why am I doing this? It's not like I really want to have a check up. So, why did I accept? I mean, I'm just a tourist as far as this place goes. The medical file they gather will be useless. It's like...] Cerl's thoughts trailed off as she struggled for the answer.  
  
The door opened again and a woman in her mid-twenties with frayed dark hair entered the room, dark circles under her blue eyes. She wore a black sweater and black silk pants under her white labcoat. Her name tag read 'Cheryl'. Cerl bit her tongue to keep from blushing in front of the woman. She was quite beautiful despite the state of her hair and the circles under her eyes.  
  
"Hello, I'm Doctor Cheryl Spaniel. You're here for a free check up?" the woman inquired, extending a hand.  
  
"Yes, I'm Cerl Tendo." Cerl replied, standing up and shaking Cheryl's extended hand.  
  
"Your name almost sounds like mine." Cheryl commented idly.  
  
"Pleased to meet you." Cerl answered, wondering where Cheryl had gotten THAT idea.  
  
"Why don't you lay down on the table and I'll begin the visual exam?" Cheryl suggested.  
  
Cerl hopped up onto the table and laid back as Lisa, no longer smiling, re-entered with a leg harness. Cerl hesitated, "Uh, is that necessary?"  
  
"Well, I'm not fond of knees bashing in the side of my head." Cheryl answered.  
  
Cerl sighed as she laid back and raised her legs as Lisa moved the harness into position. She tried to relax as Cheryl and Lisa strapped her legs into harness, pulled as far apart as possible. Cheryl moved to her left while Lisa moved to the right. Then, she felt straps wrap around her wrists.  
  
"WHAT-!" Cerl began as Lisa and Cheryl tightened the straps, effectively pinning her hands at a bad angle.  
  
The doctor and nurse roughly shoved her back down and wrapped straps around her upper arms. Lisa tossed another long strap over to Cheryl, who tightened it over Cerl's stomach, preventing the girl from sitting up more than part way. Cerl thrashed angrily against the restraints.  
  
Cheryl gripped Cerl by the forehead and slammed her head back down with surprising strength, stunning the martial artist and giving Lisa time to attached a neck restraint.  
  
"Stupid girl. Coming here all alone was a big mistake." Cheryl replied, inserting a needle into Cerl's arm. Cerl could barely see the white liquid before it entered her body.  
  
"This will calm you down while I check you over. Happy delusions." Cheryl said, smiling wickedly as she gripped Cerl's gown and tore it, exposing her breasts.  
  
Cerl tried to protest, but it came out like gibberish even to her ears. It was like her tongue wasn't responding in time with her demands. Scarce seconds later, the world dissolved.  
  
Her left arm hurt. Specifically, the place where the needle had entered her body. It was a small throbbing pain. She always felt it after a needle exited her body, likely her body's sympathetic revulsion at what had happened. She'd always hated needles. It was probably due to a bad memory from a past life.  
  
She opened her eyes, hoping to see something other than the essence of Green, and found the room was dark. She sat up and shook her head, then realized she'd been able to move. That meant Cheryl probably thought she wouldn't recover before they'd rebound her or Cheryl foolishly believed Cerl wouldn't be able to break down that door.  
  
She was naked, no surprise there. She grabbed her clothes from a nearby tray and dressed herself before hopping to the floor. She paused as she felt something strange under her feet and reached behind her, looking for the prehensile light. She found the stand, followed it up and turned on the light.  
  
She instantly regretted that action, and not because of the sudden shock from the light source.  
  
The floor was covered with patches of dried moss that was quite dead from the brown color, the walls were stained with a rust-like color and the exam table she'd been laying on had been covered with blood stains.  
  
Much like the creep factor she'd gotten from the police station bathroom, the hairs on Cerl's head stiffened in terror and she got goosebumps. She glanced down at her clothes and found that they had been spared. She opened her pack and took out a small flashlight that she'd forgotten about. She had spare shoes, but decided that being barefoot would lower the chances of detection. She closed her pack, turned the flashlight on and headed for the door.  
  
She opened the door hesitantly. The hospital was dark, but not dark enough that she couldn't see without the flashlight. Deciding not to alert Cheryl to her activity, Cerl turned off the flashlight and quietly slid out into the hallway.  
  
[Cheryl must have moved me.] Cerl realized, because she didn't recognize the hallway at all. There seemed to be a number of intersections, but no sign of a window or door. The closest intersection was to her left, so Cerl turned that way.  
  
Cerl began walking as quietly as she could down the hallway. As she came to an intersection. She glanced around the corner and saw a row of windows facing outside, revealing that it was night time.  
  
Once she got out of the hospital and to a phone, Cheryl and her lackey nurses were all going to be reported. She wasn't sure if Kimberly or her police force were in on it. The safest bet was to contact the state police. Chances were strong that they would act. The state police were a bit too big for something like bribery to work.  
  
She crept down the corridor and glanced outside, wondering what direction the window faced and noticed something entirely else.  
  
The town was like a nightmarish hell.  
  
All of the buildings looked decayed, as though they hadn't been tended to for at least a hundred years, with dead moss or vines covering most of them. All the windows she could see were boarded up, the trees were dead with their bark peeling off like paint chips and the fog from that morning was still covering the ground like a blanket, keeping Cerl from seeing anything on the ground. Even the hospital she was in had dead vines covering it like veins.  
  
"...where's my brain... can't find it..." came a soft whisper.  
  
Cerl turned to see Tina walking down the hall towards her, her head bobbing left and right unnaturally, allowing Cerl to see the large hole around her left ear. Blood caked the left half of the nurse's uniform and her eyes were milky white.  
  
"...can't find my brain... can you find?" Tina seemed to ask as she continued towards Cerl.  
  
A hand seized Cerl's right shoulder, startling her just as she spun to face the person who had grabbed her. It was Lisa, but unlike Tina, she looked like she had earlier.  
  
"You have to get out of here!" Lisa told her, grabbing Cerl's right arm and pulling her down the hallway away from Tina.  
  
"But what the hell is-" Cerl began, before they stopped abruptly. Cerl glanced past Lisa to see someone else down the hall.  
  
It was Cindy. Her right hand had been cut off and placed where her neck should have been. Her fingers and palm had been sewed to her head with thick stitches that Cerl could see from where they were. Her head bobbed unnaturally, but the reason for her awkward head motion was more obvious.  
  
  
  
"I told you we have a healthy population." Cindy gurgled, giving Cerl and Lisa a crooked smile.  
  
Lisa began backing away, but Cerl stopped her.  
  
"What's going on?!" Cerl demanded of the only normal-looking nurse.  
  
"It should be obvious." the voice of Doctor Cherl Spaniel came from behind them, "I'm testing my genius."  
  
Cerl turned to face the doctor, only to see that the doctor was not alone. A massive creature, standing roughly seven feet tall, with mace-like arms that were larger than it's torso, and patched skin that looked like it had been tanned like leather, was next to Cheryl. It's head had one red glowing oval, indicating an eye of some sort, with a gaping drooling mouth that resembled the open end of a cone.  
  
"To see if you're a psycho? Bravo. You've succeeded." Cerl told the female doctor.  
  
Cheryl sighed, "Just like Dahlia and all the others, you simply fail to understand how wonderful this is. I can't expect you to understand how great a gift I have."  
  
The creature raised one of it's huge arms and swatted Lisa and Cerl through the glass window.  
  
Cerl forced her eyes to open. She wasn't sure how long she'd been unconscious, but from Tina's slow lumbering form moving past the broken window on the third floor, it likely hadn't been too long.  
  
Her entire body ached as if she had been hit by a freight train, but her left arm burned, as if it were on fire. She didn't know how she could have been so sloppy as to let that creature hit her. Then again, she'd expected it to punch forward rather than do a swatting motion.  
  
Cerl glanced around her, trying to see if she could find Lisa, but the fog was too thick to see anything but the hospital. She had to get up and move. Who knew if Cheryl was going to hunt her down or not? It was very likely, given that if Cerl managed to make it out of town, the doctor's experiments would likely be stopped.  
  
Cerl forced her body to roll over and she began to rise up onto her hands and knees when she noticed something moving to her left. She looked over to see a human-like figure dragging something away. She couldn't tell what it was because of the fog.  
  
Then a foot slammed into her back, driving her to the ground. Cerl turned her head to try and see what was behind her. It looked like a man for the most part, but a strange triangular or pyramid mask was where it's head should have been, the angle pointing forward seeming to jut out much further than the others. In it's right hand was a large knife, like a butcher's knife that a giant might use.  
  
The pyramid-headed man moved his head back and forth as if looking at things on either side of Cerl. It removed it's foot from her back and stepped back, but another pyramid-headed man stepped forward, this one wielding a spear. The second pyramid-headed man raised his spear over his head and thrust it into Cerl's side.  
  
Cerl didn't know if it was her screaming or someone else, but she heard a pain-filled scream. She convulsed like a fish on the deck of a ship, her body trying in utter futility to force the spear out of her body by it's own accord. It was a pain unlike anything she'd ever experienced.  
  
The spear was pulled from her body and the two pyramid-headed men seemed to share a nod before fleeing into the night. Cerl clutched at her side, a thousand thoughts rushing through her head as she rolled over onto her back, the world beginning to fade to black.  
  
The delusions must have begun again, because she began to feel like she was floating down a river...  
  
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Well, another chapter at an end. More to follow. 


	3. Cultivation

"...more like a nightmare." - Heather Mason, Silent Hill 3  
  
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Cerl Descending  
  
Chapter 03 - Cultivation  
  
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She might not always be comfortable trying to get to sleep, but once she entered slumber, Cerl always felt safe. As if the blanket of her unconsciousness would protect her from all.  
  
Sleep had reached her and for the first time in her life, she didn't feel safe. She did not feel the comfort or protection of that blanket. Instead, she felt like she was lying naked in a snowfield.  
  
Dreams came, but they were nightmares. They seemed all the more terrifying, as she had the falling dream, only she hit the ground and laid there, bleeding, but alive. Her back ached, as if someone had torn or burned it.  
  
Her dream self managed to sit up and began walking, as if it had a destination in mind. Her head turned to see mirrors on each side of her. One side showed a young and beautiful angelic man wearing nothing, his head bleeding heavily as he continued to walk, his wings torn and broken.  
  
The other side showed her, only she had black feathered wings, her left arm was black with jagged points, and she was crying tears of blood. The other her suddenly stopped, clutching her stomach with her right arm and her mouth with her left. Blood began seeping between the jagged black fingers as her mirror self fell face first to the ground.  
  
The dream changed, this time she was standing outside of a cage. Something inside the cage was both beautiful and dangerous. She couldn't see what it was. Cheryl was in the cage with it. The doctor seemed to irritate and comfort the thing at the same time.  
  
Cerl tried to get a better glimpse of it, but there was no angle that showed it any better. Then, she noticed Cheryl smiling at her, a smug look on her face, as if to say, "You can't see it from there."  
  
The cage's bars didn't seem that close together. She could easily step inside, but she was torn as to whether or not she should. Whatever the thing was, it desired Cerl's company. She knew that much. She sort of wanted to be with it too. As if it had an answer that she was looking for, but she had to step inside to get it.  
  
The dream changed again. She was standing in Nerima, looking like her mirror self from the first dream. Everyone looked at her with revulsion and disgust. Pain filled her. She didn't want to be rejected by them.  
  
A hand touched her shoulder. It offered warmth and comfort, which Nerima could not. All she had to do was turn around and accept it...  
  
Cerl burst awake in a cold sweat, her head pounding as if her heart were inside her skull. She'd never felt that kinda of realism in her dreams. Like it hadn't been a dream, but rather a vision.  
  
She looked around as she calmed down from her panicked state. She was in the police station, laying on one of the desks. It had been swept mostly clean, as if someone had been in a hurry to clear it. She looked down and found a bandage where the spear had penetrated her. There was another one on her left arm, where the needle had entered her.  
  
Kimberly looked over at her from a nearby desk, "Are you fully awake this time?"  
  
"..... what do you mean 'fully awake'?" Cerl asked, trying to get over the panic she'd felt.  
  
"Your eyes opened a number of times, but you didn't respond to anything I said." Kimberly answered.  
  
"...... my head hurts." Cerl replied, clutching her head.  
  
"It's probably because of the White Claudia." Kimberly responded.  
  
"White Claudia?" Cerl asked, "No, forget that. Where the hell were you and what the hell happened to this town?"  
  
Kimberly looked uneasy, rubbing her left arm, "You know how I said that there was that huge case a long time ago?"  
  
"Yeah?" Cerl inquired.  
  
"...." Kimberly turned to a file folder she had on her desk and opened it. She started to read, "The drug that the cult used was called White Claudia. It was a hallucinagenic made by Doctor Cheryl Spaniel and Doctor Michael Kaufmann over thirty years ago. Kaufmann apparently made a deal with the cult leader, but at some point backed out. Unfortunately, that's about all anyone knows about it."  
  
"And what does this have to do with where you were and what's going on in this town?" Cerl asked.  
  
"Spaniel is apparently still working with the cult. She made some sort of deal in order to carry out her horrible experiments. When she reappeared last year, she looked to be in her mid-twenties, which should have been impossible if she were the same person. Besides that, just about everyone had forgotten about her." Kimberly began, "until, that is, the yearly police physical."  
  
"Let me guess, she had been waiting for it, hadn't she?" Cerl inquired.  
  
"Yes. One by one, our officers went in, and got a 'special vitamin' injection." Kimberly answered, a cynical tone in her voice, "I had just joined the force half a year before, so I was designated as the 'backup'. Meaning my appointment was a full two weeks after everyone else's. But then, officers started calling in sick. Then disappearing."  
  
"So you went to visit the hospital to investigate?" Cerl asked.  
  
Kimberly nodded, "Stupid as I was, I decided 'hey, I don't need backup!'. I met with Doctor Spaniel, but one of her nurses gave me the White Claudia injection. When I woke up, I was in this place."  
  
Kimberly closed her eyes and sighed, before opening her eyes again, "As near as I can figure, this IS Silent Hill. But there seems to be some sort of magic involved. This place is separate from the real world, but certain things and people can interact with both worlds. Cheryl is one of them. She also has the ability to bend the illusion to affect the real world so that you see what she wants you to see. That was why her nurses can fool people."  
  
Cerl arched an eyebrow, "Are you supposed to say things like 'unexplained phenomenon' or something instead of magic?"  
  
Kimberly snorted, "Screw that! I can't think of a reason why a drug, no matter how powerful, could maintain a stable area like this. When I ran into you, I was on my fifth attempt to get out of this town. Apparently, even if you walk on the edge of the road toward Brahms, you can't exit. You just wind up back in town."  
  
"So then the chance that the cult is involved is pretty high. Because otherwise, I can't think a way that Doctor Spaniel could be at least fifty years old and still look like she was in her mid-twenties." Cerl commented.  
  
Suddenly, the largest bug Cerl had ever seen crawled up onto the desk behind Kimberly, causing her to yelp in surprise. Kimberly glanced back at it, and frowned, "Darn it, Scraper, I told you to stay out of sight until I had time to explain."  
  
Cerl stared at Kimberly, "You're talking to a giant cockroach?"  
  
"Scarab Beetle, actually. When I got here, I found I could understand these guys. I managed to create a rapport with them. They aren't much and they can't hurt any of Cheryl's minions effectively, but they're a huge help in finding passages and such in this city. They also saved your life." Kimberly explained.  
  
"Oh-kay.... I suppose that's a good thing, considering the situation. And that's why you told them to stay away yesterday because you thought I'd freak." Cerl noted.  
  
"Yeah. Here is one of the safest places in the city." Kimberly told her.  
  
"I don't think any place in this city is safe. Not while we remained trapped here." Cerl replied, turning and standing up. She winced.  
  
"You shouldn't be standing so soon." Kimberly told her, hurrying over to help her.  
  
Cerl held a hand out to stop her, "I'm fine."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. Pyramid Head missed your organs, but-" Kimberly began.  
  
"Pyramid Head?" Cerl inquired, leaning back against the desk, "That triangle-faced guy?"  
  
"Scraper calls him Pyramid Head." Kimberly answered, as the scarab beetle began making chirping noises, "They seem to attack people at random."  
  
Cerl grumbled, "Just my luck. By the way, did Scraper see what happened to Nurse Lisa?"  
  
Kimberly blinked, "Uh, there isn't anyone named Lisa working at the hospital."  
  
"That's impossible, she and I were swatted out of the third story window together." Cerl responded, "And she was there with Doctor Spaniel when I...."  
  
Kimberly frowned and shook her head, "Maybe she's a recent addition through the cult."  
  
An uneasy silence fell over the room. Cerl decided to inquire about an issue she'd wanted addressed earlier.  
  
Cerl motioned towards the bathroom, "So do you know why there's a ghost in the bathroom?"  
  
"No, but I now suspect she was a victim of Cheryl's machinations." Kimberly answered.  
  
Cerl sighed in frustration. Even with all the answers, there were still too many questions. And it seemed that the best place to ask them were in the places Cerl least wanted to go.  
  
"I think I need to try and talk with her." Cerl declared.  
  
".... it's your decision." Kimberly responded, shrugging.  
  
Cerl turned and headed for the women's bathroom. Hopefully, the spirit in there would have some answers.  
  
As she entered, an eerie quiet seemed to fill the women's bathroom. It was as if her breathing and once-sure footsteps weren't echoing off the tiled walls. Cerl hardened herself and opened the middle stall before turning to the mirror.  
  
The blonde police woman was there, looking very much like she had the last time, blood still covering half of her face.  
  
"Hi... I'm Cerl. What's your name?" Cerl asked, trying hard to keep her panic down.  
  
Rust formed on the mirror, forming a name on the mirror: //Cybil Bennett//. The words faded slower than they appeared.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Cybil. Listen, I need to know some things." Cerl began, relieved that the ghost was feeling talkative.  
  
More writing appeared on the wall: //Like what?//  
  
"Do you know Doctor Cheryl Spaniel?" Cerl asked.  
  
//No.//  
  
"Damn." Cerl murmurred, "How did you come to haunt this place?"  
  
//I was killed.//  
  
"By what, if you don't mind me asking?" Cerl asked.  
  
//Valtiel.//  
  
"Uh... who or what is Valtiel?" Cerl inquired.  
  
//I don't know, but when he killed me, I felt I had met him.//  
  
"So what is he?" Cerl pressed.  
  
//I don't know. He appears and moves as he desires in Silent Hill.//  
  
"How long has Valtiel been here?" Cerl queried.  
  
//About thirty years. But he hasn't done very much to my knowledge, outside of killing me.//  
  
Cerl pondered that. The spirit was only a little bit more informed than Kimberly on some things. But thirty years ago would put her in Silent Hill around the time of that big drug and cult case. But if Cybil didn't know Doctor Spaniel, then what about other people?  
  
"Do you know Nurse Lisa Garland?" Cerl asked.  
  
//Sort of.//  
  
"Sort of?" Cerl inquired.  
  
//It was thirty years ago. I was investigating Silent Hill when I met a man named Harry Mason. He was looking for his daughter. He made mention of Lisa Garland, but I don't think I ever met her in person.//  
  
Cerl contemplated that. Lisa didn't look any older than Cheryl. But if both of them had been working in Silent Hill for over thirty years, that meant that it was likely Lisa was working with Cheryl. And yet, from Lisa's attempt to save Cerl, it was evident that Lisa was having second thoughts.  
  
"Thank you for your help." Cerl told the ghost woman.  
  
//I wish I could help you further.//  
  
Cerl nodded and turned. She left the bathroom perhaps a bit faster than she should have, but she'd already exhuasted herself refraining from fleeing earlier.  
  
She laid down on a bench outside of the bathroom and fell asleep.  
  
=======================================================================  
  
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Well, another chapter at an end. More to follow. 


	4. Growth

"Now we can be together, Mary..." James Sunderland, Silent Hill 2  
  
========================  
  
Cerl Descending  
  
Chapter 04 - Growth  
  
========================  
  
Cerl woke up feeling like someone had scraped her throat with jagged claws. She forced her eyes to adjust to the lights of the police station. At least this time, she'd had a dreamless night. She wasn't sure what she might do if she'd had the same intense dreams.  
  
Kimberly wasn't around, nor were any of the Scarab Beetles. Cerl sighed as a feeling of uselessness engulfed her. All of her martial arts training had proven worthless.  
  
[No,] Cerl realized, [It's like I'm growing numb. My danger sense hasn't picked up much of anything since I got into Silent Hill and my aura sense is all but dead here. I couldn't even tell that Cheryl had foul intentions. It's almost as if that fog was blinding all of my higher senses as well as disrupting my vision.]  
  
Cerl scowled. As serious as the situation was, she couldn't simply hope Kimberly found a way out. No doubt Scraper and his friends had already tried the sewers. So, it was time to start doing research. Cerl walked over the files Kimberly had been looking at and began reading the contents.  
  
She heard something knock over a garbage can outside. Cerl froze. It was very unlikely that it was Scraper, but it might have been Kimberly. Or, far more likely, it was one of Cheryl's disgusting creations, sent to hunt down Cerl and Kimberly.  
  
Cerl looked around the room and headed for the back of the police station. Hopefully, the armory hadn't been too depleted...  
  
Cerl approached the door to the police station, her hands tightening on the semi-automatic pistols she'd grabbed. She had roughly six clips for each inside her borrowed police vest, and a pump-action shotgun with an assortment of rounds, just in case. Luckily, the armory had more than enough bullets and extra guns. She doubted Kimberly would even notice she'd borrowed any weapons or holsters.  
  
Cerl realized she couldn't open the door AND have two guns ready, so she put the one in her left hand away and quietly opened the door. She gazed out into the fog-covered city and cursed her luck. The fog was so thick she could barely see across the street.  
  
She sighed and quietly closed the door. Relying on Kimberly to do all the dirty work wasn't something that sat well with her. Plus, there were so many unanswered questions that Cerl needed to find out.  
  
Like how did a town like Silent Hill not attract massive amounts of attention? Surely, the number of people who would go missing thanks to Cheryl's machinations would have been noticed, as well as a particular destination. And yet, Cerl had never heard of anything unusual happening in Silent Hill until she'd arrived.  
  
Then there was that mysterious joker who'd written that letter. Cheryl didn't seem like the sort who would bother going through the trouble of spying on someone half a world away just to get a guinea pig.  
  
And why hadn't Kimberly asked her to leave? Surely, the police officer might have made some effort to send Cerl away. Then again, she might have either figured Cerl was already trapped or she might have been desperate for a sane human companion. Cheryl was off her rocker and there didn't seem to be a plethora of actual people in the city, if there was anything other than Cheryl's creatures.  
  
Plus, Cerl needed to find Lisa and find out why she'd turned against the cult that Cheryl was working for.  
  
The hospital was an excellent destination, especially since Cheryl was there. If Cerl could kill Cheryl, chances were high that whatever was backing her wouldn't be able to do anything further.  
  
Cerl opened the door again and headed for Alchemilla Hospital.  
  
The route to the hospital had apparently developed a few problems since Cerl had been unconscious. Namely, a huge fricking hole where the intersection should have been. After doubling back and walking through an alley, Cerl finally found herself back at the hospital.  
  
Cerl pumped up her nerves, steeled herself and entered.  
  
The hospital's lobby had undergone a drastic change since Cerl had last seen it. Bits of ceiling and glass were scattered across the floor and the receptionist's desk was falling apart from rot. Rust-like stains were smeared on some of the walls and mixed in with the rubble. The lights were off, making all the hallways dark.  
  
Cerl swept the lobby with her guns pointing at whatever was in her field of vision. Once she was satisfied that neither the undead nurses, nor that enormous mace-like creature were around, Cerl headed down the hallway she and Cindy had walked down the day prior.  
  
Cerl slowly opened the door and looked inside. The room looked just the one she'd woken up in. Cerl decided to ignore the room and move on. The twisting hallways of the hospital were confusing and it wasn't long before Cerl found herself back in the lobby. Growling in frustration, she headed to the stairs and proceeded to the next level.  
  
Just as she neared the entrance to the hallway, she heard a strange noise, like something being pulled through mud and then stamped on the ground. Cerl slowly snuck over to the right wall and pressed herself quietly against it. She inched over to the entrance and peeked around the corner.  
  
A man-like figure, standing roughly eight feel tall, was walking down the hallway, dragging two bodies. He was easily larger than the creature that swatted her out the window. In one hand, he was pulling Lisa along by her ankle and in the other, he had Tina's limp body by the head.  
  
Cerl didn't care about Tina, as the girl was already dead, but Lisa could be saved... if she was still alive. It was difficult to ascertain that at her present angle and with only soft moonlight to show her anything.  
  
Moonlight? Had the sun gone down already? Then again, with the fog, it had been so difficult to notice the time of day.  
  
Cerl shook off that thought and snuck down the corridor. It would be best to get a clear shot at the creature's arm rather than risk hitting Lisa with her uncertain aim at a long distance. Plus, it would let her get more surprise shots in on the giant.  
  
Sharp cracks as Cerl shot the giant man until he fell. She ran up and smashed his wrist, causing the muscle group to reflexively release Lisa's leg. Cerl holstered the pistols and knelt to pick up Lisa's body when she noticed the creature was still moving, and NOT in death throes.  
  
Cerl picked up Lisa's body and raced off as fast as she could before the giant man could get up.  
  
Luckily, the door to a nearby exam room was open, allowing Cerl to slip inside with Lisa. Ten seconds large, Cerl heard the giant lumber past at a fast pace, shaking the ground as it moved. Once the footsteps retreated, Cerl laid Lisa down on the exam table and returned to the door. As quietly as she could, she closed the door and prayed that the giant was as unobservant as she hoped.  
  
"nnnngh..." Lisa began as she started to stir.  
  
Cerl hurried over and lightly clasped her hand over Lisa's mouth as the other blonde woman opened her eyes. Cerl placed a finger over her lips to indicate silence.  
  
The footsteps were returning and this time, every few were accompanied by a door flying open. Cerl leapt over the exam table and pulled Lisa with her, thanking the heavens that the table was at an angle from the door, allowing for a good hiding place.  
  
Twenty tense seconds passed before the giant threw open the door to the exam room Lisa and Cerl were hiding in. Cerl felt a cold sweat start to form as the giant seemed to take much longer than it had with the previous rooms.  
  
Finally, though, the giant's footsteps retreated again, though from the odd slumping noise, it had apparent picked up Tina's broken body again.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Lisa hissed.  
  
"Don't know, don't care. So long as it stays away from us, we'll do fine." Cerl answered in an equally low tone.  
  
Lisa paused, looking at Cerl for a few seconds, "You should have left."  
  
"It's too late to worry about that now. Did you see Cheryl again?" Cerl inquired.  
  
"No. Last thing I remember was getting knocked out that window and waking up here." Lisa answered.  
  
"Do you know where the staff records room is?" Cerl asked.  
  
"Why would you want to go there?" Lisa queried, quirking an eyebrow.  
  
"I want to find out more about Doctor Cheryl Spaniel... and this cult she's a part of. And who knows, maybe something in her record will help all this make some kind of sense." Cerl told her as they both stood up, confident that the giant was too far away to hear them.  
  
Lisa nodded and led Cerl to the records room.  
  
Cerl sighed. There was absolutely nothing abnormal about Doctor Cheryl Spaniel. At least, nothing that was on the medical reports. No diseases, no (noticeable) brain deformitites and no documented allergies.  
  
"I suppose I was hoping too much from this." Cerl noted.  
  
"What were you hoping for?" Lisa inquired.  
  
"That something evident would point out why Cheryl is doing this. I mean, her experiments are horrible. I guess if she had some sort of clear-cut physical problem or disability, it might go a long way to explain WHY she's doing WHAT she's doing." Cerl answered, handing the file over to Lisa.  
  
Lisa looked over the file, "I think a few pages are gone."  
  
"Really?" Cerl inquired, blinking in surprise.  
  
Lisa nodded, "Yes, the standard physical examination forms have three pages, even if the second and third pages are blank, but only two are here. Plus, the required psychological profile is also gone."  
  
"Then she might have taken them... what's usually on the third page of the physical examination?" Cerl inquired.  
  
"Just about anything that wouldn't fit on the second page, but there's also the family history, STDs, drug habits..." Lisa responded.  
  
"So, it could be just about anything. DAMMIT!" Cerl cursed.  
  
Lisa put the file away.  
  
"In any case, it's too dangerous for you to stay here. You'd better come with me back to the police station." Cerl told the nurse.  
  
Lisa lowered her head and was about to say something when Tina burst into the room. Lisa backed away while Cerl drew one of her pistols. However, Tina fell limply to the ground. Cerl blinked. Then again, how SHE had escaped from the giant was curious in and of itself.  
  
Then, Cerl caught sight of what was behind Tina. It was about six feet tall, wearing bandages over it's head to reveal a single red glowing eye in the middle of where it's face should have been. It wore a dirty blue long-sleeved shirt with denim overalls and brown steel-toed boots. The eye focused on Lisa and it began moving forward, it's boots somehow not making much noise.  
  
"Valtiel..." Lisa whispered, her eyes wide with fear and panic.  
  
"Wait, THAT'S Valtiel?" Cerl asked, shocked that Lisa would know the monster's name, and even more surprised that Lisa hadn't spoken up earlier.  
  
Cerl was about to fire when she sensed something behind her. She spun and managed to catch Pyramid Head's spear with her left hand and shove the tip away from her. She hissed as her hand felt burned from the effort.  
  
Lisa screamed and ran away, Valtiel in quick pursuit. Cerl wanted to pursue, but Pyramid's dangerously quick thrusts were much faster than she thought they would be for something that had a heavy metal object for a head.  
  
Then, her entire left arm began growing unbearably hot. Cerl began panting as sweat formed on her face. She stumbled backwards, barely dodging another direct hit. She raised her pistol and shot at Pyramid Head's chest several times, every shot somehow hitting the metal head instead of the chest. Cerl knew she wasn't a marksman, but something was interfering with the shots. Unfortunately, that was all she could do before her right arm went limp. She cursed her luck as she finally hit a wall and slid down it until she was in a sitting position. Pyramid Head seemed to look down at her for a few seconds before turning slowly and walking away.  
  
Cerl then realized that Pyramid Head hadn't been fast as much as her reaction speed had been numbed. There was probably a numbing contact poison on his spear. She had to remember that if she survived...  
  
Darkness engulfed her.  
  
//...come...//  
  
Cerl twitched, fear filling her.  
  
//....join.....//  
  
Cerl's body jerked, as if electrocuted, as a chill ran down her spine.  
  
//....friend....//  
  
Cerl burst awake in a cold sweat. She trembled for a few seconds, then winced as both her left hand, her stab wound and the point that the Cheryl's needle had entered her flesh throbbed in unison.  
  
She looked up to see that not only was she no longer in the hospital, but there were two women nearby, neither of which Cerl recognized.  
  
She seemed to be in an apartment, but the place was in total disarray. Only a slightly worn latex couch and a television were intact enough that Cerl knew what they were. Scattered bits of cardboard, glass, and plaster lay strewn at random around the room.  
  
The first of the two women, obviously the older of the two, had shoulder-length black hair and had dark circles under her eyes. She wore a tan sweater and blue jeans. She sat on the couch, looking at Cerl with a warning glare, as if it to tell her that if she tried anything, she was as good as dead.  
  
The other girl had short red hair with blonde tips. She wore a deep blue t-shirt with muddy tan slacks. Unlike the first woman, she looked rather friendly.  
  
"Are you all right?" the second girl asked.  
  
"Not really, but I guess I'll live." Cerl replied, trying to ignore the numb-throbbing in her left hand and the spear wound Pyramid Head had given her.  
  
"I'm Laura Sunderland. Pleased to meet you." the second girl said cheerfully, extending a hand in greeting.  
  
Cerl gave a half-smile in return, shaking Laura's hand, "Cerl Tendo. Same here."  
  
The first woman continued to glare at both girls.  
  
"Who's Miss Sunshine over there?" Cerl asked.  
  
"That's Angela. She's been living here for over thirty years or so." Laura replied.  
  
"Over thirty years?" Cerl asked.  
  
"Since the phenomenon started," Angela replied, "time hasn't really worked right. Hasn't since Sammael's power was split into two. I'm roughly fifty-three and I haven't changed a bit for the last thirty years."  
  
"So, either time has stopped or people don't age in this town." Cerl noted.  
  
"No, people do age. Laura here left some twenty-five years ago, and she's only eighteen. And I met a few boys that I grew up with who looked to be in their late seventies before they died." Angela answered.  
  
"Crap, then it's largely random." Cerl noted.  
  
"And the amount of time that's passed when you leave is also a variable. My father and I met Harry Mason and Cybil Bennett, two people who apparently had left Silent Hill FIVE years prior to us. Yet, they claimed they'd just left." Laura added.  
  
"Wait, so people HAVE left Silent Hill?" Cerl inquired.  
  
"Only a few and one way or another, they usually find themselves back here. Me, for example. I left here when I was young and here I am again." Angela replied.  
  
"When you were young..." Cerl commented.  
  
It was strange, but something about the way she'd easily navigated her way to Alchemilla Hospital, despite the intersection, made her wonder if perhaps she had visited Silent Hill.  
  
"It's funny, but now that you mention that people come back here... I think I've been here before. These are the Blue Creek Apartments, or something, right?" Cerl mused aloud.  
  
"Yeah..." Laura answered, sounding a bit surprised.  
  
[And I didn't see the sign for Alchemilla Hospital, but I knew what the name of the hospital was. Why am I so familiar with this city? No, I _know_ I've never been in Silent Hill...] Cerl pondered.  
  
"Wait, Lisa! Did you see a blonde nurse named Lisa?!" Cerl asked, feeling a bit guilty at having forgotten about the nurse.  
  
"Uh, we haven't left this place for the last few hours." Angela answered, staring at Cerl, as if Cerl was insane.  
  
"Then... how did I get here?" Cerl inquired.  
  
"We don't know. We came back from looking for food and you were here." Laura explained.  
  
Cerl's stomach gurgled at the mention of food. Cerl blushed while Laura smiled, "I figured you'd be hungry. I'll make you a sandwich."  
  
Cerl arched an eyebrow, "Food even exists here?"  
  
"For some reason, the grocery store always has fresh food." Angela replied. "Though, personally, I think it might be because Sammael's got a strange idea of kindness. He'd rather see us die at the hands of the monsters than starve to death."  
  
"Sammael... you mentioned him before, but who is he?" Cerl asked.  
  
"Sammael is the creature that's made this town what it is." Angela told her.  
  
Cerl pondered the name. By itself, it gave no clues, but she had to ponder what religion the creature was from, regardless of whether or not she could actually come up with an answer. It had to be old to have so much power, but it could have just as easily been a more recent creation of the cult. The power of faith, after all, was one of humanity's most powerful attributes.  
  
Though, something more recent likely wouldn't have been able to distort time and space, let alone animate the dead and replenish food supplies with such a small cult.  
  
Even with gods, there were limits.  
  
Laura interupted Cerl's thoughts, presenting a simple ham and cheese sandwich, "Here's your sandwich."  
  
"Thanks." Cerl said, appreciatively taking the sandwich.  
  
Cerl ate the sandwich ravenously, a bit surprised at her own hunger. She was about to ask if Laura could make another when the trio heard a loud whumping noise and felt the room shake faintly.  
  
"What was that?" Laura asked.  
  
"I think that was an explosion." Cerl replied, finding her shotgun was laying next to her. She slung it onto her arm as she stood up.  
  
The three women raced to the nearest window and saw nearby building on fire. Cerl's gut told her that Cheryl was involved with it. She briefly took note that they were on the third story of the apartment building. Low enough to jump.  
  
Cerl ran to a nearby broken window and leapt out. She landed and raced towards the burning building. Behind her, she heard Laura and Angela yelling for her to ignore it, but she refused to listen.  
  
Cheryl was the key to getting out of Silent Hill. Not to mention, very likely the reason why Cerl was even IN Silent Hill. Cerl slowed long enough to unsling her shotgun and loading two shells into it. She pumped it once, loading a shell into the chamber. She wanted to make sure she was ready to deal with Cheryl PROPERLY.  
  
When the building came into view, Cerl took a second to note that it was an antiques store, and the fire had apparently been quelled. However, Cheryl hadn't left the scene. She was standing near a gaping hole that had been made where the doorway had once been. But Cheryl was not alone.  
  
The giant man-like creature from the previous day was laying in bloody pieces on the ground motionless, and one of the Pyramid Head's was frantically battling a naked girl who had wet black hair and a psychotic gleam in her eyes.  
  
"CHERYL!" Cerl roared, deciding that the girl was doing well enough against Pyramid Head.  
  
Cheryl turned her head to see Cerl. Cerl was a bit confused by the angry glare Cheryl threw her way, but decided to ignore it.  
  
"Oh, it's you. I suppose this failure is your fault." Cheryl answered absently, as if she were making a comment on the weather while in outer space.  
  
"Failure?" Cerl inquired, her curiosity and confusion curbing her anger for the moment.  
  
"I suppose I'll have to do it differently next time." Cheryl said to herself.  
  
"You're doing nothing, lady! I'm going to end this right here and now!" Cerl declared, raising her shotgun and aiming at Cheryl.  
  
Before Cerl could pull the trigger, the naked girl leapt at her, knocking her to the ground. Cerl glanced over at the Pyramid Head and saw that the girl had managed to crumple his armored head into a vaguely flat shape and tear off his left arm at the elbow. She grappled with the naked girl, surprised at the hysterical strength that the girl was managing, even as her arms were covered in cuts, lacerations and blood. It was greater than even Cerl's strength and she could break stone even improperly.  
  
Cerl wondered if it was a reaction to that White Claudia drug Cheryl had given her and Kimberly, but upon reading the girl's aura, she found that the girl was in agony. Something wasn't right in her aura and it was hurting her. Since the girl couldn't stop the pain, she was lashing out.  
  
Unfortunately, that only cure Cerl could think of was death. The girl had to be released from her pain and Cerl wasn't skilled enough with auras to do any aura healing. Nor was it likely that the girl would simply 'get over it'.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you have to die." Cerl told the girl. She kicked the mad girl away, kipupped to her feet, aimed and shot the girl in the head.  
  
Cerl lowered the barrel and closed her eyes in respect for the poor girl.  
  
Then, the girl's body exploded, splattering blood and limbs around the immediate area.  
  
"JESUS CHRIST!" Laura's voice called out from behind Cerl, "What the HELL did you do?!"  
  
"I... I only shot her..." Cerl answered, utterly shocked.  
  
"It would seem that the energy was too much for her body." Cheryl spoke up in a bored tone, catching Cerl's attention again, "And as a result, when you killed her, her body lost cohesion and exploded violently. It would explain why she went mad."  
  
Cerl snarled and raised her gun at Cheryl, "And just what were you doing with her?"  
  
Cheryl ignored Cerl's question and began to walk away, turning a corner at the far intersection, muttering to herself. Cerl was about to shoot Cheryl in the back when the giant man awkwardly tackled her, shoving her backwards. Cerl pressed the shotgun to his chin and fired, exploding the giant's head and sending it toppling backwards. She raced to the intersection, but Cheryl was gone.  
  
"SONOVABITCH!" Cerl roared angrily.  
  
"Jeez, did you do this to Pyramid Head?" Laura asked, looking at the fallen form of one of Silent Hill's most powerful and pervasive guardians.  
  
"No, that girl did. Though, how she managed that kind of strength is beyond me." Cerl replied, sliding her shirt off from underneath her bullet-proof vest and wiping the blood off of her face. She was glad she was wearing a modest bra.  
  
"So, what now?" Laura asked.  
  
"Now, you go back and get Angela, then the two of you rendevous at the police station. I'll head there after I investigate what Cheryl was doing here. Take these pistols to protect yourselves." Cerl replied, taking her borrowed pistols and handing them to Laura. She unloaded her extra clips and handed them to Laura as well.  
  
"Right." Laura agreed. She turned and hurried back to the Blue Creek Apartments.  
  
Cerl entered the antiques shop. Apparently, it had been emptied before the fire, leaving only a busted grandfather clock, a dirty and torn up couch and a gaping hole next to the clock. Cerl entered the hole and quickly discovered a once-hidden chamber that had a bloody altar and a brand-new high-tech tube, the kind that were so prevalent in sci-fi movies for making monsters or holding people, filled with mysterious golden goo.  
  
[So, she's trying to fuse science with magic... but what is she trying to accomplish? If she's in league with Sammael, then she MIGHT be trying to make an avatar. But something went wrong. In any case, I better make sure she can't use this place again.] Cerl thought.  
  
She smashed the altar in half with a stone-breaking technique and shot the nutrient tube, breaking the glass and causing most of the fluid to spill out. With that accomplished, she exited the building and headed for the police station.  
  
About an hour of searching the backalleys, Cerl finally found her way to the police station. She'd visited a clothing store and managed to find a suitable dark purple shirt to wear. Unfortunately, unlike the grocery store, the clothing store had been ravaged by monsters more than a few times and thus, her shirt had a strange dark stain on the right arm. She decided not to think about what the source might be.  
  
When she entered the police station, there were more people than she expected inside. A woman with light and wavy strawberry blonde hair and a man with long black hair tied into an immensely long ponytail were standing near Angela and Laura. Both the man and the woman were wearing dark grey coats with white undershirts and dark grey slacks. The man stood a full head above the woman and was very tan and muscular.  
  
"Cerl! You made it!" Lauara called out in greeting.  
  
"Who are you?" Cerl inquired of the two strangers as she approached the group.  
  
"My name is Louie Carwess, and this is Melissa Mylee." the man said in greeting. The woman jabbed him lightly in the side, "Oh yeah, we're FBI Agents, here to investigate the strange phenomenon that was reported from Brahms."  
  
The two flashed their FBI badges.  
  
"So what sort of information has managed to get out?" Cerl asked.  
  
Melissa spoke up, "We've been getting reports of people who were unable to call relatives, TV and Radio signals that should be broadcasting, investigative teams not returning..."  
  
"So, just about nothing." Cerl deadpanned, inwardly frustrated. Then again, with the time distortion, the chances of anyone useful appearing in the town in time to help were minimal.  
  
Melissa looked a bit upset, but nodded in agreement, "Yes, we've already seen some really horrible things. Ghastly things that shouldn't be..."  
  
Louie looked uncomfortable, as Melissa began trembling, her eyes losing focus. He decided to ask Cerl something, "So, can you tell us more about what's going on? Laura and Angela were able to tell us that some cult is behind this, but they weren't able to give us much in the way of details."  
  
Cerl collected her thoughts, "Near as I've found out and managed to reason out, about thirty years ago, a cult tried to summon a god named Sammael. Something went wrong, but Sammael was still able to use it's power, and created this alternate world. Now, the last follower Sammael has, Doctor Cheryl Spaniel, is apparently trying to create a body for Sammael to inhabit so it can fully manifest all of it's power."  
  
"And the monsters?" Melissa asked, her eyes now almost razor sharp.  
  
"Cheryl makes them. Apparently, it's a gift from Sammael." Cerl responded.  
  
"This sounds like it's huge." Louie commented to himself.  
  
"It is. In any case, I'm going load up on guns and ammo, then I'm outta here. I suggest you all wait here. There are some nasty things out there and I'm sure some of your would prefer not to see them." Cerl declared, looking meaningfully at Melissa, before pausing, "There's an officer, Kimberly Ganer, who also comes back here frequently, and I know there's a nurse by the name of Lisa Garland who might still be alive. Oh, and there's a ghost in the middle stall of the women's bathroom. Her name is Cybil Bennett, and she's a bit creepy, but she won't hurt you. You can't see her looking directly into the stall, but you might be able to see her in the mirror."  
  
With that said, Cerl headed back into the armory, Louie following closely behind her.  
  
"You can't go by yourself." Louie commented, "It's too dangerous."  
  
"I've already run into most of the big-time monsters in this place and come away alive. I might not win in a straight-up fight, but I think I can do better than most of you. I've got more martial arts and live firearms experience than all of you combined, and I've got the best idea as to where Cheryl might be. If I can take her out, I'm fairly certain that Sammael will lose his last connection to this world and everything SHOULD go back to normal." Cerl explained.  
  
"At least tell us where you might be." Louie demanded.  
  
"I'll head back to hospital to try first. If not there, I'll try the prison, then the amusement park and finally the school. Those are the places she'd likely hide, seeing as they're large and complicated enough that she could hide entrances and laboratories just about anywhere." Cerl answered.  
  
"... we can't just sit around doing nothing." Melissa spoke up as she appeared next to Louie.  
  
Cerl looked at the two determined FBI agents and relented. She too knew what it was like to feel useless when she had the skills to be of aid. She considered her options. The best thing would be to find out about Cheryl.  
  
"Fine, you can check out her house and try to get some clues as to why the blue fugnut she's doing this. Most of the roads going directly there might be bad, so make a copy of the town map if you need to get there or anywhere else. I'm going to make a copy of it too." Cerl answered, jotting the address she saw in Cheryl's file onto a notepad and handing it to Louie, "By the way, I'd take more than just handguns. A rifle or shotgun and plenty of ammo will go a long way in taking care of some of the monsters in this joint. A bullet-proof vest is something I'd suggest _everyone_ here puts on."  
  
=======================================================================  
  
=======================================================================  
  
=======================================================================  
  
Yes, I know Valtiel looks nothing like that in SH3. I changed him. So there.  
  
Well, another chapter at an end. More to follow.  
  
Current Cast  
  
Cerl Tendo - She's come from Japan to find the jerk who was taunting her adoptive father. Not truly from the Tendo clan, as she was actually born in America and later moved to Japan, Cerl has still managed to become the heir to the family school of martial arts.  
  
Kimberly Ganer - A police officer of Silent Hill who has a rapport with the abnormally large scarab beetles that seem to infest the town. She can speak with them as if talking to a normal person.  
  
Cindy - A nurse at SH Hospital. Turned into a zombie by Cheryl.  
  
Tina - Another nurse at SH Hospital. Also turned into a zombie by Cheryl. Now officially dead.  
  
Lisa Garland - Yet another nurse at SH Hospital. Apparently knows Valtiel.  
  
Cheryl Spaniel - A doctor at SH Hospital who apparently worked with Doctor Michael Kaufmann.  
  
Laura Sunderland - After leaving Silent Hill with James, Laura grew up. But something or someone enticed her into returning...  
  
Angela Orosco - She apparently survived and has been living in Silent Hill ever since Laura and James left.  
  
Louie Carwess - An FBI man sent to investigate the validity of the reports about Silent Hill.  
  
Melissa Mylee - Louie's partner and fellow FBI agent. 


	5. Division

"Bitch." - Heather Mason  
  
========================  
  
Cerl Descending  
  
Chapter 05 - Division  
  
========================  
  
[It figured she wouldn't come back here.] Cerl thought to herself as she patrolled the hospital. Only a few extra freakish nurses were left in the decrepit building and though one had a revolver, none of them had reacted fast enough to even consider attacking Cerl.  
  
Cerl was almost finished with her clean sweep of the third floor when she saw a diary on the floor. She reached down to pick it up.  
  
She glanced over a few pages:  
  
-----------------------  
  
Ask Doctor to let me quit being in charge of that patient.  
  
It's too weird.  
  
Still alive, but with wounds that won't heal.  
  
Told the doctor I quit. Won't work at that hospital anymore.  
  
The room is filled with insects. Even with doors and windows   
  
shut they get in to spite me. To the hospital...  
  
Feeling bad.  
  
Need to throw up.  
  
But nothing comes out.  
  
Vomiting only bile.  
  
Blood and pus flow from the bathroom faucet.  
  
I try to stop it, but it won't turn off.  
  
Need drug.  
  
Help me...  
  
-----------------------  
  
'Nowhere' and 'Basement' were written on the last page in sharp erratic letters.  
  
[Basement? This place has a basement?] Cerl wondered, unsure if she'd seen a button for the basement on the elevator controls.  
  
Once she was sure that there was nothing else that might help give an indication as to where Cheryl might be on the top floor, she headed back to the elevator and saw that basement button. She glared at the controls, now certain that the button had NOT been there the las time she'd looked at it.  
  
She pushed the button, loaded three shells into her shotgun and steadied herself. Chances were good that whoever or whatever she met in the basement was probably going to try and kill her.  
  
It had taken Louie and Melissa roughly thirty minutes to make it to Bachman Road and find Cheryl's house. The dull blue two-story house looked about the same as all of the others on the block.  
  
Louie managed to kick the door down after six tries. Inside was not filled with blood, monsters or gore, but it was nonetheless quite disturbing. After Louie entered, Melissa followed him in and closed the door quietly to make sure no monsters would followed them inside.  
  
Then, she saw what was covering the walls. Photos of little girls and boys covered the walls, either pinned or taped into place. Every so often, a photo would have a red circle around it, but most would also had an 'X' over them as well.  
  
And that was just the first hallway.  
  
"What the-" Louie asked, staring at the walls.  
  
"Looks like she had a strong desire to raise children." Melissa commented, also creeped out by the sheer number of pictures.  
  
"She found a rather bad outlet, if you ask me." Louie replied.  
  
"Well, nevermind. Let's try to find something ELSE about her. Look for diaries, books, anything at all." Melissa told him.  
  
"Uh, oh, right." Louie responded, "I'll check upstairs."  
  
"I'll check down here." Melissa answered, heading into the living room.  
  
Cerl was impressed. She didn't think the basement of a hospital would be so elaborately large. After walking through a VERY long twisting hallway, Cerl found herself in front of a metal door. The door was covered in large black, red and rust-colored letters which spelled "Nowhere" over and over.  
  
Cerl moved up against the door as quickly as she could and gripped the hand slowly. She mentally counted to three, then forced the door open. Her eyes locked onto Cindy, who turned in time to see Cerl raised her shotgun and fire. Cindy's left hand, which was holding a large revolver, raised only a quarter of the way necessary to return fire, then stopped. Apparently, without much of a brain left, even the zombie nurse couldn't react any further. The undead nurse collapsed, fully dead.  
  
With Cindy dead, Cerl turned her attention to the only other occupant of the room, Lisa Garland. Lisa was sitting in the furthest corner from the door, her eyes wide with dark circles underneath them. Her uniform was caked with patches of blood and Cerl could tell, even from a distance, that Lisa was trembling.  
  
"Lisa? Are you okay?" Cerl inquired, walking over to pry the revolver from Cindy's hand, just to make sure Lisa didn't try for it.  
  
"no...never was...was always....always..." Lisa began in a quiet voice, her eyes focused on nothing but the empty space in front of her, "...always..."  
  
"It doesn't matter, you know. Whatever Cindy told you was a lie." Cerl told the nurse as she began to move towards the shaking woman.  
  
Lisa's eyes regained some focus and she looked up at Cerl as if Cerl was insane, "Except for Cheryl, Cindy, Valtiel and Grecion, none of the monsters in Silent Hill reacted to my presense. It's as if I'm invisible to them. That can only mean one thing."  
  
Cerl was silent for a few seconds, "You aren't be the same as them."  
  
"How can you say that?! All the monsters do to people is tear them limb from limb and eat them! I don't even have the will to fight!" Lisa all but shrieked.  
  
"Exactly." Cerl answered.  
  
Lisa blinked, staring at Cerl in shock, "What?"  
  
"The monsters of this world are simply mindless beasts, meant to kill those that would stop the cult's goals. If you were truly one of them, you wouldn't even be able to think. That means, Lisa, that you _are_ alive. And if you're alive, you can continue to live. It's only when you give into that mindless side that you would ever become a monster." Cerl told the nurse.  
  
Lisa trembled, clutching herself, "...but I'm scared..."  
  
"It's all right to be scared, Lisa. I was scared when I first came here and I'm still scared." Cerl told Lisa as she sat down next to the nurse, "Fear isn't an enemy that you have to battle whenever something scary happens. It's only when Fear becomes Terror that it's a bad thing. Terror is when you can't even find the will to run away, when you abandon all hope for survival."  
  
"....but I might be.... one of them...." Lisa looked up into Cerl's eyes.  
  
"Do you still want to run away?" Cerl asked, standing up.  
  
Lisa nodded.  
  
"Then let's run." Cerl said, extending her hand to Lisa.  
  
"Run where?" Lisa asked.  
  
"The police station. There's six other people in this town that have hope for the future. With you, there's seven. You don't need to fight, but knowing you're safe will give those of us who are fighting a reason to keep fighting." Cerl explained.  
  
Lisa sat in silence for a long minute, then took Cerl's hand.  
  
Louie and Melissa had arrived back at the police station in time to meet Kimberly. Before any introductions could begin, however, Cerl and Lisa arrived. It took ten minutes to clear up the introductions and get down to business.  
  
"Okay, it's clear that Cheryl is trying to make an avatar for Sammael. There are three major questions that I'd like to know, but the main one is 'why'. Louie, Melissa, any clues at Cheryl's house?" Cerl inquired.  
  
Melissa shuddered, "That woman is obviously suffering from a very creepy fixation on wanting to be a mother. Her house was filled with photographs, polaroids and dolls. She has virtually every child-rearing simulator game, every book on motherhood, and even medical files on various children. Each of the files had a 'viability' rating on them."  
  
"Well, that would explain part of the problem..." Cerl began.  
  
"Part?" Kimberly asked, "It sounds like most of it."  
  
Cerl shook her head, "There are medical practices to get around virtually every medical problem involved with births nowadays, and seeing as they have such high-tech toys at Cheryl's beck-and-call, I'd assume she could handle most of it herself. But seeing as she's channelling the power of a god, one powerful enough to create a subdimension, the problem of having a child seems almost trivial. There has to be more to this than just having a kid."  
  
"What if Sammael won't let her have a child until she's given him a body?" Louie inquired.  
  
"That's probably the means, but the real question is why Laura and I was tricked into coming here. I'm a martial artist and there's a plethora in this world, not to mention that there are plenty of others that are better than me. Going through all the trouble to bring someone from another country here seems a bit excessive. Laura's a wildcard. We have no idea what they have planned for her." Cerl answered.  
  
Laura began looking nervous, "What do you mean? Am I gonna be a sacrifice or something?"  
  
"Probably not a sacrifice, otherwise they would have made efforts to 'acquire' you already. But I think most of us should stay here to protect you anyway. It's obvious that you're important to their goals. It likely has to do with the fact that you lived in this town when you were younger." Cerl answered.  
  
"Why would that be important?" Melissa asked.  
  
"As disturbing as this may sound, we're dealing with something that needs a body. If it could use ANY body, they would have their avatar already. So, it probably needs a special host. And if the host is already attuned to Sammael's energy, the chances of her being able to reject it are lowered." Cerl responded.  
  
Laura's face turned pale with horror and disgust. Everyone else in the room was looking as if they'd just been asked to taste something nasty.  
  
"Anyway, we need to find Cheryl, but we also need to keep Laura safe from any of Cheryl's monster if and when they come looking for her. There are still three places she could be and we should have at least two people here to guard Laura." Kimberly spoke up.  
  
"Angela and Lisa, do you two think you can stand to stay here?" Louie inquired.  
  
The two women nodded.  
  
"I'll check the prison." Kimberly declared.  
  
"I'll check the amusement park." Cerl volunteered.  
  
"I guess we'll check the school." Louie stated, shrugging.  
  
Just as the quartet were preparing to the leave, the phone on the nearest desk rang. They exchanged looks. Finally, Kimberly approached the phone and picked it up, "Hello?"  
  
A british woman's voice was audible to everyone, "....Don't bother with the school. Check Brookhaven Hospital." *CLICK*  
  
"Brookhaven? How do we get there?" Melissa asked.  
  
"It wasn't Cheryl, but I don't think we can trust whoever that was." Lisa spoke up.  
  
"Regardless, it's a lead that we should check out." Louie answered, before looking at Kimberly.  
  
"You can usually get to Brookhaven by boat or by the bridge, but I thought that Silent Hill cut us off from there." Kimberly explained.  
  
"Then we'll try the dock. If someone suggested it, then there's probably a way there." Louie replied.  
  
"Hey, has that symbol always been on the wall?" Laura interupted, pointing to circled triangle on the far wall of the station.  
  
The group turned to look.  
  
"No, it hasn't." Kimberly stated firmly.  
  
The wailing of sirens began to seep into the police station, steadily growing louder and louder.  
  
"I get the feeling this place isn't going to be safe for much longer." Angela spoke up, "The only times that siren goes off is when an area is about to eclipsed by Sammael's full might."  
  
The ground began to tremble and a sound reminscient of running water was heard.  
  
"EVERYBODY OUT, NOW!" Kimberly roared, before turning to a hole in a nearby wall, "Scraper, get all the ammunition and guns out of the armory! Get them outside!"  
  
"What is she-" Melissa began, before Cerl grabbed her arm and pulled her and Lisa out of the building, "The lady said MOVE!"  
  
The group reconvened outside. Melissa shook her arm free of Cerl's grasp, "Who is Scraper?! And what's going on?"  
  
An enormous worm punched it's way through the roof of the police station. It was green with a circular mouth that had hundreds of teeth within it. Red jewel-like circles around the mouth indicated eyes or something similar. Cerl pointed at it, "That was coming."  
  
Guns were drawn and fired rapidly. Though by themselves, each of the eight handguns that group were firing couldn't do much damage, but collectively, they dealt a large amount of damage rather quickly. The worm roared and collapsed, destroying the entrance to the police station.  
  
"Aaaaah, that was such a great base of operations." Louie grumbled.  
  
"Not to mention all those extra guns and ammunition are still inside." Lisa joined in.  
  
"You don't have to worry about that." Kimberly answered.  
  
Melissa arched an eyebrow, "Why is that?"  
  
"She's made friends with some of the wildlife. They aren't cute puppies or kitties, but they're good enough." Cerl replied.  
  
Scraper and roughly twenty other scarab beetles skittered out of the alleyway to the right of the station, dropped the first load of two shotguns, three rifles and four handguns, then retreated. Everyone, save Kimberly and Cerl, recoiled in shock.  
  
"What the blue hell were those things?!" Angela asked, a look of horror and disgust on her face.  
  
"That was Scraper and his friends. They've helped me survive countless times in this hellhole." Kimberly replied, taking offense to Angela's digust.  
  
Fifty scarab beetles skittered out the second time, depositing thirty clips of handgun ammunition and twenty boxes of assorted shells for the shotguns and the rifles.  
  
Louie was the first to recover as he bent down to pick up another handgun, "Well, they _are_ helpful."  
  
Laura and Melissa regained their composure, followed shortly by Lisa, then finally Angela. Both Lisa and Angela gave wary glances towards the alleyway, but they had accepted the creatures' presense... for the time being.  
  
"Listen up, we don't have the police station as a fallback anymore. Scraper and his friends will unearth the rest of the ammo and pull out a few more guns for us, but that's about all the help we can really hope for. His kind really aren't that useful for attacking the monsters that infest this world, and none of you can really talk to them like I can. We should probably designate a new place to gather, seeing as the police station is plausible." Kimberly announced.  
  
"How about the school? Since our clue-giving friend said that the school wasn't Cheryl's base, it shouldn't be as dangerous to gather there." Louie suggested.  
  
"Yes, but it's more open..." Lisa spoke up, "so, it's not as safe."  
  
"I don't want to sit on my can and wait for Cheryl to try and grab me again! I wanna help too!" Laura declared.  
  
"I guess we should divvy you three up, then..." Louie commented, looking at Angela, Laura, and Lisa.  
  
"Angela, do you think you can handle going with Kimberly to the prison?" Melissa inquired.  
  
Angela glared at the alleyway and shuddered briefly, "So long as her creepy friends aren't along, I have no REAL problem."  
  
"Then I guess the two of you are coming with me." Cerl noted.  
  
"Eh? Shouldn't one of us go with Louie and Melissa?" Lisa asked.  
  
"We don't know if there are any boats that can make it to Brookhaven, let alone how many people it could support. We might even have to go two at a time and who knows how long it might take to get there..." Melissa said, implying that it might take an hour or more.  
  
Lisa thought of the possibility of being along at the fog-covered dock for an hour or more and shuddered violently. She briefly considered the prison with Angela and Kimberly, but that was as bad as the hospital, "I'll go with Cerl."  
  
"You two have a map?" Kimberly asked Louie and Melissa. Both of the FBI agents nodded, "Good. Because Sammael might make certain routes inaccessable to you. If worse comes to worse, try to get on top of a building and jump around the problem."  
  
"Is that really necessary?" Melissa inquired.  
  
"We're in his world. Do you REALLY want to count on him to play fair?" Cerl inquired.  
  
Both the agents frowned, but nodded.  
  
"Good, now everyone load up. Take at least three clips and an extra gun." Kimberly ordered.  
  
=======================================================================  
  
=======================================================================  
  
=======================================================================  
  
Well, another chapter at an end. More to follow.  
  
Current Cast  
  
Cerl Tendo - She's come from Japan to find the jerk who was taunting her adoptive father. Not truly from the Tendo clan, as she was actually born in America and later moved to Japan, Cerl has still managed to become the heir to the family school of martial arts.  
  
Kimberly Ganer - A police officer of Silent Hill who has a rapport with the abnormally large scarab beetles that seem to infest the town. She can speak with them as if talking to a normal person.  
  
Cindy - A nurse at SH Hospital. Turned into a zombie by Cheryl. Now officially dead.  
  
Tina - Another nurse at SH Hospital. Also turned into a zombie by Cheryl. Now officially dead.  
  
Lisa Garland - Yet another nurse at SH Hospital. Apparently knows Valtiel.  
  
Cheryl Spaniel - A doctor at SH Hospital who apparently worked with Doctor Michael Kaufmann.  
  
Laura Sunderland - After leaving Silent Hill with James, Laura grew up. But something or someone enticed her into returning...  
  
Angela Orosco - She apparently survived and has been living in Silent Hill ever since Laura and James left.  
  
Louie Carwess - An FBI man sent to investigate the validity of the reports about Silent Hill. (Actually a reference to Louie from Rune Soldier Louie. Carwess was his adoptive father.)  
  
Melissa Mylee - Louie's partner and fellow FBI agent. (Actually a reference to Melissa from Rune Soldier Louie. Mylee was the god she served.) 


End file.
